Howl's Moving Castle; Sophie x Howl
Fandom: Howl’s Moving Castle (a Studio Ghibli film)
Pairing: Howl x Sophie
Theme Set: Alpha
Title: The Evolution of Innocence
Rating: PG-R
Warning(s): Some sensuality
Notes: Life is never the same when a cowardly wizard falls in love with a beautifully plain hat-maker.
01-Comfort
Marco had never understood the comforts of “home” until he got used to the idea of waking up to the sounds of Howl flirting with Sophie first thing in the morning.
02-Kiss
At the end of The War, Sophie had apparently deemed it necessary to celebrate by kissing any and all of their dear friends: this was a problem for Howl.
03-Soft
After finally returning to her rightful age, Sophie secretly reveled in the comfort of being in her own skin (after all, it wouldn’t be particularly right to pursue her love for a certain wizard as an old cleaning lady).
04-Pain
It was no big secret that Howl had a very low tolerance for pain.
05-Potatoes
Sophie believes that being an old woman suited her best in the long run, after all, she was bland, pale, and tasteless (Howl emphatically disagrees).
06-Rain
Rainy days tended to bring out the worst in Howl, which also tended to bring out the worst in Sophie (her patience had limits after all).
07-Chocolates
So on those days, after making sure that the wizard was sufficiently locked in the bathroom with warm water and comic books, Markl would cuddle close to Sophie by the fire place with warm cups of hot chocolate in hand.
08-Happiness
For Sophie, it’s hats that aren’t made of straw; for Howl, it’s Sophie by his side with her silver hair flying in the wind.
09-Telephone
What use did they have for telephones when they had a perfectly capable portal as a front door?
10-Ears
Being centrally located, Calcifer had the fortune to be privy to all kinds of secrets and information . . . especially on those nights when Howl has been particularly irritating in Sophie’s opinion and is forced to spend the night on the couch.
11-Name
Everything about Sophie was boring: her clothes, her face, her hair, and her bland personality: until Howl appeared and sang her name like the sweetest serenade.
12-Sensual
Silken bed sheets are a perk to having a husband who is used to being spoiled with the best.
13-Death
Ever since the day that Calcifer burned his way out of Howl’s chest with his heart, Howl had known nothing else but of endings and evasions; then she showed up in the guise of a mother he never had, and desperately needed.
14-Sex
Despite the rumors, Howl was very much a virgin (Sophie was not; her first love was an asshole).
15-Touch
Even before their first time, he knew that her touch would be the first and only one to undo him.
16-Weakness
And, that was perfectly o.k. with him.
17-Tears
Markl had followed Sophie out into the rain the night Howl’s hair turned from blond to orange to black, and the sight of her tears tracing the jagged lines around her eyes was enough to make him hate Howl, just for a little while.
18-Speed
It amazed him how quickly everyone always took Sophie’s side.
19-Wind
The wind smelled sweeter when experienced hundreds of feet from the ground, on the veranda of her own moving castle.
20-Freedom
The field of flowers was theirs, and theirs alone.
21-Life
“Howl, there is no possible reason to keep thirty different kinds of hair coloring potions in the bathroom!”
22-Jealousy
Oddly enough, Howl first experienced jealousy on the day he stumbled upon Sophie, her face a beautiful depiction of irritation and poise as two burley soldiers tried to pick her up: even then, he knew that she was HIS.
23-Hands
There was nothing more hypnotizing for Sophie than to watch Howl’s hands as he casts a spell.
24-Taste
Sensuality was always a myth, before he had Sophie tangled in the sheets beneath him: his tongue tracing the graceful arch of her spine.
25-Devotion
It took Howl almost three months to create the perfect chain of spells and alchemy to create an engagement ring for Sophie that could perfectly capture the color of his eyes (after all, they were a dashing shade of blue-gray).
26-Forever
Howl had a way of making relationships that felt like they would never end.
27-Blood
Sophie never had a fondness for rubies, and wrinkled her nose at the sight of so many of them in Howl’s old bedroom.
28-Sickness
Sophie promised herself that she would never again catch a cold: Howl’s remedy was the unpleasant prescription of a steady supply of rather inventive potions.
29-Melody
Markl wanted to try karaoke; and after Howl’s turn at the mike, even he admitted that it was a very bad idea.
30-Star
“Wow, Sophie, your hair looks just like starlight; it's beautiful!”
31-Home
Heen lacked any feelings of guilt when he left Madame Suliman’s side for the warmth of Sophie and Howl’s family.
32-Confusion
As a demon, Calcifer had seen a lot of things, but even he was a little taken back when he woke up one morning and a pushy old grandmother was shoving firewood in his face.
33-Fear
Sophie didn’t want to live her entire life in a hat shop that wasn’t really hers, wearing clothes that didn’t really suit her.
34-Lightning/Thunder
The night The War ended, Howl and Sophie curled up in his massive bed with Markl between them and Heen at their toes; a storm raging in The Wastes outside, cleaning the anger and death away.
35-Bonds
They both share a love of green tea with lemon.
36-Market
Shopping with Howl can get exasperating sometimes; he can never leave a store empty-handed.
37-Technology
The first piece of jewelry Sophie ever received was spelled to always lead her home when she was lost.
38-Gift
Howl believes that all of the flowers, clothes, and jewelry in the world could never compare to the family Sophie brought upon him.
39-Smile
Even as a child, her smile was always fake.
40-Innocence
At the age of 80, Howl remained the proud owner of a child’s heart: Sophie’s favorite part of him.
41-Completion
Ever since the loss of his heart (and the sub sequential return of it), Howl had been trying to fill the odd shaped chasm in his soul: it was only later, limbs tangled in silken sheets and each other, her flushed face buried in his neck, and their joined heartbeats keeping them in tempo, that he realized that the chasm was in the shape of her.
42-Clouds
“Take me up to the sky, Howl; let’s touch the clouds!”
43-Sky
Sometimes, being in the air, in the castle Howl built for her, feels more stable than being on the ground.
44-Heaven
“Sing me a song, Sophie.”
45-Hell
There are nights when Sophie feels the Earth shake one moment, and the air vibrate with falling bombs the next moment, and wake up under warm sheets the next, only to realize that while the past has kept a tight grip on her dreams, her future lies in the promise of the man wrapped comfortingly around her.
46-Sun
Howl was the bright light that lead the way through the darkness, and protected them from the nothingness [with Calicfer’s help, of course].
47-Moon
Sophie was the sentry of the night, her serenity and calm wrapping around them all like the softest sigh of starlight.
48-Waves
Every Sunday, Sophie forces Howl into an hour of relaxation time, where he sits with the latest newspaper, and she sits behind him, brushing the stubborn waves out of his hair.
49-Hair
Howl likes to return the favor.
50-Supernova
Neither can remember what life was like before the day they fell arm in arm with each other in the alley way.
Pairing: Howl x Sophie
Theme Set: Alpha
Title: The Evolution of Innocence
Rating: PG-R
Warning(s): Some sensuality
Notes: Life is never the same when a cowardly wizard falls in love with a beautifully plain hat-maker.
01-Comfort
Marco had never understood the comforts of “home” until he got used to the idea of waking up to the sounds of Howl flirting with Sophie first thing in the morning.
02-Kiss
At the end of The War, Sophie had apparently deemed it necessary to celebrate by kissing any and all of their dear friends: this was a problem for Howl.
03-Soft
After finally returning to her rightful age, Sophie secretly reveled in the comfort of being in her own skin (after all, it wouldn’t be particularly right to pursue her love for a certain wizard as an old cleaning lady).
04-Pain
It was no big secret that Howl had a very low tolerance for pain.
05-Potatoes
Sophie believes that being an old woman suited her best in the long run, after all, she was bland, pale, and tasteless (Howl emphatically disagrees).
06-Rain
Rainy days tended to bring out the worst in Howl, which also tended to bring out the worst in Sophie (her patience had limits after all).
07-Chocolates
So on those days, after making sure that the wizard was sufficiently locked in the bathroom with warm water and comic books, Markl would cuddle close to Sophie by the fire place with warm cups of hot chocolate in hand.
08-Happiness
For Sophie, it’s hats that aren’t made of straw; for Howl, it’s Sophie by his side with her silver hair flying in the wind.
09-Telephone
What use did they have for telephones when they had a perfectly capable portal as a front door?
10-Ears
Being centrally located, Calcifer had the fortune to be privy to all kinds of secrets and information . . . especially on those nights when Howl has been particularly irritating in Sophie’s opinion and is forced to spend the night on the couch.
11-Name
Everything about Sophie was boring: her clothes, her face, her hair, and her bland personality: until Howl appeared and sang her name like the sweetest serenade.
12-Sensual
Silken bed sheets are a perk to having a husband who is used to being spoiled with the best.
13-Death
Ever since the day that Calcifer burned his way out of Howl’s chest with his heart, Howl had known nothing else but of endings and evasions; then she showed up in the guise of a mother he never had, and desperately needed.
14-Sex
Despite the rumors, Howl was very much a virgin (Sophie was not; her first love was an asshole).
15-Touch
Even before their first time, he knew that her touch would be the first and only one to undo him.
16-Weakness
And, that was perfectly o.k. with him.
17-Tears
Markl had followed Sophie out into the rain the night Howl’s hair turned from blond to orange to black, and the sight of her tears tracing the jagged lines around her eyes was enough to make him hate Howl, just for a little while.
18-Speed
It amazed him how quickly everyone always took Sophie’s side.
19-Wind
The wind smelled sweeter when experienced hundreds of feet from the ground, on the veranda of her own moving castle.
20-Freedom
The field of flowers was theirs, and theirs alone.
21-Life
“Howl, there is no possible reason to keep thirty different kinds of hair coloring potions in the bathroom!”
22-Jealousy
Oddly enough, Howl first experienced jealousy on the day he stumbled upon Sophie, her face a beautiful depiction of irritation and poise as two burley soldiers tried to pick her up: even then, he knew that she was HIS.
23-Hands
There was nothing more hypnotizing for Sophie than to watch Howl’s hands as he casts a spell.
24-Taste
Sensuality was always a myth, before he had Sophie tangled in the sheets beneath him: his tongue tracing the graceful arch of her spine.
25-Devotion
It took Howl almost three months to create the perfect chain of spells and alchemy to create an engagement ring for Sophie that could perfectly capture the color of his eyes (after all, they were a dashing shade of blue-gray).
26-Forever
Howl had a way of making relationships that felt like they would never end.
27-Blood
Sophie never had a fondness for rubies, and wrinkled her nose at the sight of so many of them in Howl’s old bedroom.
28-Sickness
Sophie promised herself that she would never again catch a cold: Howl’s remedy was the unpleasant prescription of a steady supply of rather inventive potions.
29-Melody
Markl wanted to try karaoke; and after Howl’s turn at the mike, even he admitted that it was a very bad idea.
30-Star
“Wow, Sophie, your hair looks just like starlight; it's beautiful!”
31-Home
Heen lacked any feelings of guilt when he left Madame Suliman’s side for the warmth of Sophie and Howl’s family.
32-Confusion
As a demon, Calcifer had seen a lot of things, but even he was a little taken back when he woke up one morning and a pushy old grandmother was shoving firewood in his face.
33-Fear
Sophie didn’t want to live her entire life in a hat shop that wasn’t really hers, wearing clothes that didn’t really suit her.
34-Lightning/Thunder
The night The War ended, Howl and Sophie curled up in his massive bed with Markl between them and Heen at their toes; a storm raging in The Wastes outside, cleaning the anger and death away.
35-Bonds
They both share a love of green tea with lemon.
36-Market
Shopping with Howl can get exasperating sometimes; he can never leave a store empty-handed.
37-Technology
The first piece of jewelry Sophie ever received was spelled to always lead her home when she was lost.
38-Gift
Howl believes that all of the flowers, clothes, and jewelry in the world could never compare to the family Sophie brought upon him.
39-Smile
Even as a child, her smile was always fake.
40-Innocence
At the age of 80, Howl remained the proud owner of a child’s heart: Sophie’s favorite part of him.
41-Completion
Ever since the loss of his heart (and the sub sequential return of it), Howl had been trying to fill the odd shaped chasm in his soul: it was only later, limbs tangled in silken sheets and each other, her flushed face buried in his neck, and their joined heartbeats keeping them in tempo, that he realized that the chasm was in the shape of her.
42-Clouds
“Take me up to the sky, Howl; let’s touch the clouds!”
43-Sky
Sometimes, being in the air, in the castle Howl built for her, feels more stable than being on the ground.
44-Heaven
“Sing me a song, Sophie.”
45-Hell
There are nights when Sophie feels the Earth shake one moment, and the air vibrate with falling bombs the next moment, and wake up under warm sheets the next, only to realize that while the past has kept a tight grip on her dreams, her future lies in the promise of the man wrapped comfortingly around her.
46-Sun
Howl was the bright light that lead the way through the darkness, and protected them from the nothingness [with Calicfer’s help, of course].
47-Moon
Sophie was the sentry of the night, her serenity and calm wrapping around them all like the softest sigh of starlight.
48-Waves
Every Sunday, Sophie forces Howl into an hour of relaxation time, where he sits with the latest newspaper, and she sits behind him, brushing the stubborn waves out of his hair.
49-Hair
Howl likes to return the favor.
50-Supernova
Neither can remember what life was like before the day they fell arm in arm with each other in the alley way.